Hi Unix and WAMPES Users !

$Revision: 2.99 $$Date: 1994/10/02 10:33:12 $

This is the Ping-Pong conversd source, derived from WAMPES' conversd by Dieter
Deyke <deyke@@mdddhd.fc.hp.com>. It is also used in the Internet for ham radio
conversation groups. You should have received the following files:

	Configure		- The installation bash script
	INSTALL			- installation notes
	CHANGES			- The history of changes
	CREDITS			- who intended the work
	README			- You have it, since you are reading it
	README.OS2		- Information for the use with OS/2
	SPECS			- This file describes the communication
				  via the links
	Makefile.in		- This one makes compilation easier
				  if a "Configure" was done first.
                                  gnu make needed !
	ba_stub.c		- tiny buildsaddr.c which uses kernel
				  TCP/IP only.
	convers.c		- the user interface to conversd.
	conversd.c		- the daemon itself
	conversd.h		- some declarations
	convert.c		- dl9sau's iso program
	convert.h		- and declarations
        getdefs.c		- determine predefines set by your CC
	makefile.os2		- Makefile for OS/2
	makefile.dep		- and the dependencies
	mailgate.c		- interface to mail transport layer
	user.c			- the user commands to conversd
	user.h			- prototypes therefore
	host.c			- the host commands to conversd
	host.h			- guess it :-)
	online.c		- shows the users being online
	os2.h			- global definitions for OS/2

Additionally a slightly modified GNU-readline package is supplied. The WAMPES
package will be found by the Configure shell script that creates the Makefile
then.

Newer releases of this software might be found in the anonymous ftp directory
at insu1.etec.uni-karlsruhe.de ~/pub/hamradio/convers/convers.

The "standard" TCP-Port to be used with conversd is 3600, the belonging names
associated to a standard convers are:

 /usr/local/sbin/conversd                 - This is the daemon itself
 /usr/local/etc/convers.conf              - configuration file
 /usr/local/bin/convers                   - The user interface to conversd
 /usr/local/bin/online                    - shows current users without
                                            logging in into convers
 /usr/local/etc/convers.motd              - motto of the day, once per login
 /usr/local/etc/convers.issue             - general text, seen at connect time
 /var/local/spool/convers/convers.log     - convers logins are logged here
 /var/local/spool/convers/personals       - directory keeping personal texts
 /var/local/spool/convers/sockets/convers - unix domain conversd socket
 /tcp/.sockets/netcmd                     - socket used w/ WAMPES-connections
 $(HOME)/.conversrc                       - user's file of startup commands

The directories /usr/local/etc, /usr/local/sbin, /var/spool/convers may not
exist on you computer. Then /tcp is used instead (historical compatibility).

There are some secondary names to conversd implemented for special purposes
into my package. You don't need to install them they just provide additional
ports for internal converse groups.

*******************************************************************************
PLEASE: DO NOT connect the Internet convers to the Packet convers. This is
        NOT ALLOWED in Germany yet. License conditions are about to change
        hopefully later this year.
*******************************************************************************

If you have the ability to join multiple conversation groups, just set up a
secondary conversd with a different name (currently supported are lconversd,
kaconversd, wconversd for secondary names). Then another TCP port is selected
for this conversd (Use the source, Luke - ist rather easy to understand this
part in main()). Don't forget to set up a corresponding user client with the
same "first name" i.e. either lconversd, kaconversd or wconversd.

Here is a typical convers.conf file for an ampr-net host:
-----
dc6iq-u 12345
# This is just a comment
dc1ik-u 1 1 dc1ik-u:3600
db0sao 2 1 unix:/tcp/.sockets/netcmd connect tcp db0sao 3600
db0me 3 1 unix:/tcp/.sockets/netcmd connect ax25 db0me
dc6iq-p 4 1 mailgate fred@behind-firewall.company.com
-----

The first line sets up your host name (dc6iq-u in this case), the sysop secret
number and the conversd net embedding (i.e. internet or amprnet - the latter
being default), the second is a comment (possible comment lines start with
either ';' or '#', nobody guessed it ?), line number three tells our conversd
to connect dc1ik-u on port number 3600 for its conversd. The two conversd's
establish a link between each other and then swap user information. It is done
via direct kernel TCP/IP - not using WAMPES. Line number four does the same to
db0sao, but uses a TCP connection established by WAMPES. The last line does
the same to db0me, but instead of a TCP/IP connect a simple AX.25 connection
is established to db0me (It's not an IP-Host :-)). The last entry establishes
a communication between conversd nodes via mail as transport layer. I am working
on this feature right now - so it really does not work yet...

Each host entry has an two numbers behind it's supposed name. They are called
"group" and "quality". Each group will have exactly one connection to be set
up. If a connection goes down the next hosts of this group will be tried.
In this manner, an alternate host might be connected, if a known route either
doesn't work any more or is temporarily out of order. The quality parameter
tells us how many retries should be performed before switching to the next
group member.

This feature is not yet implemented. These numbers are just place holders for
later versions of pp-conversd. Ensure different groups for each entry right
now. Set all qualities to 1.

*******************************************************************************

 ! ! !     D O N T   T R Y   O U T   T H I S   F E A T U R E   Y E T     ! ! !

WARNING: First, the GROUP Feature is not yet implemented. Second, when it
         appears (look for announcement here), NEVER set up link table
         entries on both sides of a link. Don't do this even now !!
         In future, this may cause heavy traffic to the net when link loops
         are being established. More:

         THE WHOLE REST OF THE NET WILL BE INOPERATIVE FOR A LONG TIME !!!

*******************************************************************************

Here is a typical convers.conf file for the internet
-----
myname 12345 internet
# who to connect ?
testsite 1 1 foo.bar.org:2354
-----

Here the internet site foo.bar.org on TCP port 2354 is connected. Please _note_
the KEYWORD "internet" after your host name ! It is needed, because /pers won't
work properly if omitted...

*******************************************************************************

WARNING: DO NOT connect two nodes on the same net. This will produce horrible
         traffic and endless Loops. Even do not do this with Dieter Deykes
         conversd implementation, if you join a net of 'non-Dieters' converses.

*******************************************************************************

If you are using OS/2 as the base system for conversd, you should read the
file README.OS2.

This README should help you to set up your conversd. Additional information and
questions concerning this implementation of the conversd should be sent to:

	<dc6iq@insu1.etec.uni-karlsruhe.de>    (Internet)
	<DC6IQ@DB0SAO.#BW.DEU.EU>      (Packet AX.25-BBS)
	<dc6iq@db0sao.ampr.org>           (Packet TCP/IP)

73's, Fred Baumgarten
